Will of Fire: The Spirit of the Shinobi
by thatwitchyotaku
Summary: The Will of Fire is what drives the shinobi to protect those that are precious to him. In the Hidden Leaf, Naomi aspires to be the first shinobi ever to come from The Land of Waves and to protect the people she loves, even if it kills her. Unlocking the mysteries of her strange chakra will be difficult, but as long as the Will of Fire is alight, anything is possible.
1. The Outsider - Chunin Exam Clash 1

_The trees whipped Naomi as she sprinted with all her might through the dense forest, her face, arms, and legs sliced by branches and thorns. Her heart raced as the hurried sound of footsteps behind her grew closer and closer. Her legs burned, and her heart raced so fast she couldn't breathe, but she kept going._

I have to get away. I can't let them take me back, not after this, _she thought to herself. She gritted her teeth and pushed forward, pushing off the ground with more force with every step she took to increase the gap between her and her pursuers. A dim light glowed through the trees in the distance, and Naomi's eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope._

 _Her foot caught on a small rock that sent her tumbling forward face-first into the dirt._

 _"Nngh.." she groaned as she pushed herself onto her knees, which had both been scraped raw from the fall. The racing footsteps stopped behind her, and someone snatched her by her long, purple hair. She winced and cried out in pain as a massive, muscular man pulled her up by her hair, forcing her onto her feet._

" _Let me go!" Naomi cried as she flailed her arms behind her, scratching at the man's face and pulling away from him as hard as she could. He laughed a menacing laugh, and two other men on either side of him joined in the laughter, shrouded in shadow._

" _Why don't we have a little fun with you before we take you back home?" the large man said, with a wicked, crooked grin. A single tear trickled down Naomi's face. Her legs shook before giving out underneath her, her body limp, her hope and will crushed. The man let her fall to her knees._

" _There's a good girl. Thank you for being so accommodating," he said as he wrapped his fingers around the waistband of her dirty, tattered shorts. She lifted her face from the dirt a stared with longing at the warm light glowing just out of reach. She almost made it._

No…I'm NOT going back, _she thought to herself. She gritted her teeth, scooped up some loose dirt in her fist, and threw it in the man's eyes. He wailed and reeled back, rubbing his eyes in a panic, his eyes watering against his will. Naomi took the opportunity to push up off the ground and take off running._

" _Idiots! Go after her! Don't let her get away!" the large man commanded, and the other two men ran after her while he stayed behind. Naomi ran faster and faster with every step, the light glowing brighter and bigger as she approached, unaware that there was a steep drop-off at the edge of the forest._

 _She breached the dense trees and gasped as her feet fell from under her, and she fell forward over the steep hill, her face smashing into solid rock, taking the full force of the impact. She tumbled down the steep hill, her body flailing about like a rag doll until she came to a stop on a dirt road._

 _The trees rustled behind her, and Naomi's heart spiked out of her chest with panic. Her arms and legs trembled and ached as she struggled to push herself up off the ground and keep running, but she couldn't. She was at her limit. Tears welled in her eyes, and she let her face fall flat to the ground as she lost all hope._

They're going to take me back to that awful place. What'll they do to me for running away? _she wondered to herself, crying freely now, sobbing without restraint._

 _"Hey! Who's out there?" a young boy shouted as he rushed out of a nearby ramen shop and came to Naomi's side. He took up a protective stance between Naomi and the trees, armed with only a kunai knife. "Why don't you stop hiding like cowards and show yourselves?" he demanded. Still, there was no answer- only the sound of rustling leaves and footsteps growing fainter as Naomi's pursuers retreated back into the forest. "Well, whoever was out there is gone now. Are you okay?" he asked, cradling Naomi in his arms. She groaned and mumbled something unintelligible, barely conscious, her face covered with blood, sweat, and dirt. Her vision went blurry as she faded even more out of consciousness, but she was able to catch one detail; a headband with a leaf symbol carved into it glinted in the moonlight._

 _"Don't worry. I've got you, now. You're going to be fine," the boy said as he picked her up and carried her away. She didn't know this boy or why he stepped in to defend her, but she trusted him enough to let herself pass out._

 _She awoke in a hospital bed with the sunrise as it shined in through an open window, a cool breeze blowing strands of hair across her face, tickling her nose until her eyes finally fluttered open. She winced and turned away from the window and caught her breath. Asleep in a chair next to her hospital bed with his head resting against the wall was a young boy that couldn't be more than a year older than Naomi. He had his hair pulled back and a scar across his nose, and Naomi recognized the headband he was wearing._

 _"Oh, you're awake!" a perky nurse said as she walked through the door, a bright smile on her face. "How are you feeling?"_

 _Naomi reached for the glass of water sitting by her bed. The nurse lifted the glass and helped Naomi drink from it._

 _"Thank you," Naomi said in a whisper, her voice still weak. She turned to the boy. "Miss, who is that?" she asked._

 _"Isn't it so sweet? He's been here every day since the night he brought you to us."_

 _"And, where is that, exactly?"_

 _"You're in a hospital in the Hidden Leaf village."_

 _Naomi looked back at the sleeping boy and squinted as she racked her brain for more details from that night._

 _"Is that because of me?" Naomi asked, tapping her nose with her finger. The nurse let out a dainty laugh._

 _"No, sweetie, don't worry. Please, try not to strain yourself too much just yet. Are you hungry? I'll be back with breakfast for the both of you," she said and left the room before Naomi had a chance to answer. She looked at the boy again, a perplexed look on her face._

 _"Why would he go so far for me, a complete stranger?" she wondered._

 _The boy shifted in his sleep and slightly opened his eyes, wincing from the sunlight. He yawned, stretched, and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. His eyes widened in surprise when his eyes met Naomi's. He got up from his seat so fast, he nearly knocked it over._

 _"You're awake! I'll go get a nurse," he said as he turned on his heels and rushed toward the door._

 _"It's fine. A nurse is already coming with breakfast for the both of us. You can relax," Naomi said, stopping him in his tracks._

 _"Oh…how long have you been awake?" he asked as he pulled his seat closer to her bed, leaning forward with intrigue, staring intently into her eyes. Naomi averted her gaze and laughed awkwardly._

 _"Only about 30 seconds longer than you," she answered._

 _"How are you feeling? Are you in any pain at all? You were in really bad shape."_

 _Naomi waved her hands in front of her._

 _"No, I'm fine. Really. Don't worry about me." Her voice shook as she spoke, her nerves getting the best of her._

 _"What the hell were you doing running through the forest in the middle of the night? Who were you running from? You could have gotten seriously hurt, or worse. You're lucky I was passing by," the boy said, speaking quicker and louder as he continued, an intense look in his eyes, and frustration in his voice. Naomi stared flabbergasted and open-mouthed for a moment, bewildered by the sudden switch in his tone. She then glared up at him, and he was taken aback as she matched his intensity._

 _"Well if it was so dangerous, what business did you have getting involved with a complete stranger to you?" Naomi demanded. She waited for his answer without wavering. The corners of his mouth curled upward, and he slapped his knee as he threw his head back with a laugh._

 _"What, you're serious? I'm Iruka Umino, a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, you know. Of course I had to stop and protect someone too weak to protect themselves. Otherwise, I'd have no right to wear this headband," Iruka said with pride as he pointed out the leaf symbol on his forehead protector. "What a dumb question," he added as he leaned forward and grabbed his sides as he continued to laugh. Naomi glared and balled her hand into a fist. She then punched him with all her might over the top of his head._

 _"Ow! What the hell was that for?" Iruka cried out, rubbing his head where she had hit him while Naomi rubbed her aching knuckles and bit her lip to keep from whimpering in pain._ _The door then slid open, and the nurse peeked her head in._

 _"Oh! Am I interrupting something? You have a very special visitor," she said with a sweet smile. Naomi's heart jumped in a panic. Had she been found? Had someone even stronger shown up to take her home? She held her breath as footsteps drew nearer, her heart skipping with every slap of sandals against the cold, hard floor._

 _She then let her mouth drop open and stared up with starry eyes at the older man that walked in, dressed in robes and carrying a pipe._

 _"Lord Hokage!" Iruka jumped out of his seat and bowed to the man. He let out a raspy, jaunty laugh and patted Iruka on the head._

 _"You've done a fine job, Iruka. You've done well to look after our guest," said the Third. Iruka rubbed his head once more and glared in Naomi's direction._

 _"Thank you, Lord Hokage."_

 _The Hokage then smiled down at Naomi. "How are you feeling? Can I ask you your name? Mine is Hiruzen Sarutobi, and I'm the Hokage of this village."_

 _"N-Naomi Kasai," she answered timidly. The Third Hokage sat beside her on her bed._

 _"And where do you come from, Naomi Kasai?"_

 _"Th-the Land of Waves, sir," she answered timidly yet again._

 _"My, that's quite a distance for someone so young to travel alone. Why don't you tell me everything from the beginning?"_

 _Everything? Naomi's eyes welled with tears as she recalled every detail of her journey, every time she thought she was caught, and she remembered every reason she had for running away in the first place without a place to go. The tears flowed freely down her face, and she collapsed forward into the Hokage's arms, sobbing. He was surprised, but didn't hesitate to pull Naomi into a hug and comfort her._

 _"It's alright. You're safe here," he reassured her with a warm smile and all the tenderness of a loving grandfather. He then turned to Iruka, who was looking down at Naomi with a look somewhere between concern and pity._

 _"Iruka, you've done enough for now. Why don't you take a break? I think Mizuki's been looking for you."_

 _Iruka nodded and turned to leave._

 _"Wait," Naomi said with a shaky voice mid-sob. She cleared her throat and wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at Iruka with only admiration in them. He waited and tapped his foot impatiently, disinterested in anything she had to say. "I'm sorry I hit you earlier," she began._

 _"Tch. Is that all?" he asked. She shook her head and smiled at him._

 _"I'm safe because of you. Thank you, Iruka."_

 _There was no mistake that he was flustered suddenly when she said his name by the way his cheeks became rosy in color and the way he frantically waved his hands in front of himself._

 _"D-don't worry about it, please. And, I probably deserved it just a little, I guess," he said with a nervous laugh as he rubbed his head once more with one hand. "Take care, Naomi," he said with a smile before leaving. The Hokage chuckled to himself._

 _"That boy certainly has the will of fire within him. It's what drove him to protect you, you know," he said to Naomi._

 _"The will of fire…hm.." Naomi thought to herself and wondered if she, too, could possess it._

Naomi smirked confidently at her opponent, sizing him up from across the arena. The brawny Mist shinobi towered over her with hands the size of her head, biceps that she couldn't wrap her hands fully around, and a wide, rock-hard chest. His stance was wide, unwavering, and proud, like that of a mountain.

 _What the Hell are they feeding them in the Hidden Mist?_ She wondered to herself. _Okay, so he clearly has me beat in brute strength. I'll have to be faster than him._

"Alright. Combatants ready? Let this match between Naomi Kasai and Toru Nagano begin!" Shikamaru decreed. The crowd roared with excitement as the match began. Naomi flicked open the pouch holstered at her thigh and pulled out a kunai knife. She twirled it around on her finger playfully before charging forward, her only plan: don't get hit.

She threw a flurry of punches and kicks that Toru blocked with ease, making the slightest movements. Naomi dodged his punches with grace, dancing her way around him. Blow for blow, he was stronger, though he couldn't match Naomi's speed. Even the impact of her fists against his chiseled physique was painful, her knuckles already bruising. She glared and threw one more punch with all her might. With little effort, Toru swatted her hand downward, sending her stumbling behind him. She regained her balance and came at him from behind, this time with a flying kick.

He turned and grabbed her by the leg, swinging her around and launching her through the air towards the crowd. She threw her head back and flipped in the air so that her feet landed square on the wall, sending a constant flow of chakra to her feet to keep her attached firmly to the wall. Several hundred people in the audience gasped in shock.

"When did she learn to control chakra like that?" Ino asked.

"I don't know. As far as I know, she couldn't use chakra at all. I wonder if she's mastered any jutsu," Sakura said, leaning forward in her seat.

"For a while, we thought the same thing," said Iruka as he entered the stands and approached the girls.

"Oh, Iruka-sensei, what are you doing all the way out in the Hidden Sand? Did you come to see Naruto and Konohamaru?" Sakura asked.

"Or did you come to see Naomi in action?" Ino asked with a sly grin. Ino, Sakura, and even TenTen lit up as Iruka's demeanor changed, becoming more bashful and defensive. He cleared his throat and put on a stern act.

"I came to support all my students participating in this year's Chunin Exams."

"And Naomi," Sakura said with a smile.

"Yes, and Naomi," Iruka hesitated to admit. He took a seat next to Sakura and leaned forward in his seat, watching with a wide grin on his face as Naomi dazzled the crowd with this surprise turn of events. The woman who many thought could never be a ninja just surprised the five great nations.

Naomi pulled a total of six kunai knives from her pouch, each one nestled between her fingers, and threw them all at once. She then made a hand sign.

 _Clone Jutsu!_

Each physical kunai multiplied until there were over 100 headed for Toru, though all but six were illusions. Toru calmly pulled out a kunai, prepared to dodge every single one. While he was distracted, Naomi super charged her speed by sending more chakra to her feet, she sprinted down the wall until she was on solid ground again and charged straight for Toru. While his eyes were focused on the downpour of kunai, Naomi practically danced her way through it, focused her chakra in her right fist and landed a solid punch in his stomach.

He gasped as the wind was knocked out of him and he was sent tumbling back, rolling and stumbling until he met the wall, his arms and back wedged snugly into the wall from the force of his impact. He groaned in pain and let his head hang and bob as he fought to maintain consciousness. He glared up at Naomi, who sat comfortably on the ground cross legged, while twirling a kunai playfully on her finger with a smile on her face, taunting him.

"Amazing! That was the Third Hokage's jutsu," Lee said from behind Sakura, standing up and pumping his fist with excitement.

"She said it was her way of honoring him and all he ever taught her," Iruka said with an enamoured, dreamy-eyed smile.

In the arena, Toru ripped his arms from inside the wall one by one, bits of rubble falling at his feet. "No more playing games," he said with a menacing, intimidating growl. Naomi jumped to her feet and prepared for another fist fight. Toru smirked and chuckled as he made a hand sign. An eerie, dense mist rolled over the arena, engulfing everything. Naomi shivered and turned her head frantically, searching for Toru in the mist, but she was completely blinded by it.

"What will you do now, little girl?" Toru taunted her. She turned in every direction in search of him, her heart racing and her breathing pattern becoming quick, sharp, and uneven, stricken with panic. Nothing was worse than being able to hear an enemy that couldn't be seen. Naomi was then knocked to the left. She gasped and stumbled to the ground from the unexpected blow to the face. She whimpered and held her hand up to her swollen cheek.

"Ach!" she yelped as she was pulled by her pony tail, forced to stand on her feet again. Toru then kicked her with a mighty kick in the small of her back, launching her forward. She rolled like a tumble weed in the wind for a few meters. She groaned and pushed herself up onto her elbows. Toru stood over her and lifted his massive leg over her and then brought it down in a swift motion over her head, slamming her head face-first into the dirt.

He kneeled beside her, with one knee pressed into her back, and he pulled her up by her hair again, arching her back. "Give up, little girl." Toru wailed on her, punching her face, her chest, her back, slamming her face into the dirt repeatedly for good measure until he wore himself out and her headband came loose.

"What is Shikamaru doing? Why doesn't he stop this?" Sakura asked, barely above a whisper, her voice cracking as she fought back the urge to cry for Naomi.

"No kidding. This is getting difficult to watch," TenTen said, peeking through her fingers.

"Don't underestimate her," Guy said with a stern look on his face. "She might be down now, but she's not out. Not by a longshot. Don't you worry about her," he said with a confident grin as he looked down at his student. "We haven't even given her a chance to show us what she can do. She can still pull out a victory, all the more rewarding because it was difficult."

Iruka leaned forward over the protective railing, gripping it until his trembling knuckles turned white. "C'mon, Naomi. Show everyone what you can do. Fight. Win," he pleaded.

In the arena, Naomi rolled onto her side and stared up at Toru with tired eyes, still knelt beside her. She heaved and panted, spitting blood.

"You should quit now before you get killed," Toru said. Naomi smiled and laughed, though it was agonizing.

"I won't hand this fight over to you so easily."

Toru frowned and gripped her bangs and yanked her up to his level. She winced in pain.

"You don't know when to quit, little girl," he snarled. Naomi looked him directly in the eyes with a look of pure determination.

"You got that right," she said, and jammed and kunai deep into his side and twisted it. He screamed in pain and stumbled back, dropping Naomi to her knees. She wasted no time. She made her hand sign.

 _Wind Tunnel Jutsu!_

The dense mist dissipated in a vicious whirlwind with Naomi in the eye of the cyclone. Toru grounded himself firmly, but brought his arms up in front of his face as a shield from the ripping wind and dirt. The crowd screamed and cheered with wild excitement, everyone jumping out of their seats.

"Yes! The power of youth prevails! What did I tell you?" Guy's boisterous voice boomed over the entire crowd as he stood on his seat and gave Naomi an approving thumbs-up.

"Who knew she was so good at wind style?" Ino asked.

"She's not through surprising us yet," Iruka said as he smiled down at Naomi.

Naomi struggled to push herself up off of her knees, her legs shaking as she stood doubled over to pick up her headband. She straightened her back and tightened her headband around her forehead once again. She smirked at Toru with a new wave of confidence, though she was bruised and battered.

"I hope you're ready for me," she called to him. "'Cuz I'm just getting started."


	2. The Power of Youth!- Chunin Exam Clash 2

_Naomi smiled as she walked the streets of the Leaf Village, the morning breeze blowing through her long, flowing hair and carrying the scent of Ichiraku ramen. She took in the inviting aroma of fried meat and pork broth, inhaling deeply, eyes closed and leaning into it with a grin on her face._

 _"There she is!"_

 _Naomi turned and saw three older boys coming her way, rolling up their sleeves and looking at her with nothing but hate and disdain in their eyes._

 _"You're the outsider from the land of waves," one of them said, pointing at her. Other children in the area stopped and watched the scene unfold. The tallest boy pushed her down onto the dirt. Naomi grunted and landed with a loud thud._

 _"What do you want with me? Why don't you leave me alone?" she demanded. She rolled onto her feet to stand up, but the first boy kicked her in the chest and knocked her back._

 _"Who said you could get up?" he asked as he straddled her and pinned her arms to the ground. Naomi kicked and squirmed underneath him, but he was too strong for her. He and the other boys laughed at the sight of her struggling._

 _"Maybe if you were a ninja, you could take us, but no ninja ever came out of the stupid land of waves. Why don't you go back where you came from?" one of the smaller boys teased her. The other boys kneeled on either side of her and grabbed huge sections of her hair and yanked on her hair while the oldest boy dangled and bungeed a line of spit above her face._

 _Naomi wanted to scream for anyone to help her, but she clamped her mouth shut and cried as she pulled her head away from him as much as she could. As the tears rolled down her cheeks, the boys only laughed louder._

 _"What a baby. Get'er, Chiro," one of the boys said, and they both held Naomi's head in place so she couldn't move._

 _"Hey! Get off of her!" Iruka shouted as he sprinted in their direction, a fiery look in his eyes._

 _"Oh, crap, let's go!" The three boys ran into a near-by alley and disappeared. Iruka came to Naomi's side and kneeled beside her._

 _"Did they hurt you? I swear, next time I see those kids, I'll-"_

 _"Just stop," Naomi said as she sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes._

 _"What? What are you talking about?" Iruka asked with a frown._

 _"Stop acting like you have to protect me. I'm not gonna be anybody's burden," she said as she pushed past Iruka and started running._

 _"Naomi, wait a minute," Iruka said as he followed her and grabbed her hand._

 _"Just stop!" she repeated herself as she ripped her hand away. "What do you care? No one else does. What did I even leave my home for? Maybe those kids were right. Maybe I should have just stayed in my village. I see the looks I get, and I see the looks you get, like they pity you or something for being friends with me."_

 _"Yeah, so what? It doesn't bother me, and it shouldn't bother you."_

 _"Yeah, well, it does. Just- please, don't follow me anymore. I really just want to be alone right now." Naomi turned and walked away, hanging her head and hiding her tears and her frustration behind her long hair._

 _Iruka stared after her with a pained look in his eyes before shaking his head and walking off in the opposite direction._

 _Naomi made her way to the training grounds in the forest, pacing in circles angrily punching the air. Three wooden stumps sat in the center of the clearing. Naomi kicked and punched the center stump repeatedly, forcefully huffing with every blow, letting out all her aggression._

 _"HYAH! HYAH! HYAH!" Even through the pain, she continued to kick and punch until she was completely numb to it, the sting of hard wood against her fists paling in comparison to the sting of the rejection and hate she felt from the children of the village._

" _Maybe if you were a ninja," she mimicked her bullies in a mocking tone. "Maybe I will become a ninja. I won't be the one crying next time they pick a fight with me." The sun had started to set before she knew it. She plopped onto the ground and rested her tired arms on her bent knees, her head hanging back. She let her mouth hang open and panted as she stared up at the setting sun._

 _"Hello there," a deep, manly voice came from above her. Naomi looked up and was taken aback by the odd young man balancing atop her wooden post on just one hand. He was like nothing Naomi had ever seen before. He wore a green, skin-tight leotard, had a bowl cut, and had the bushiest eyebrows she had ever seen on a person. He had a manly, square jaw and a devilish, handsome smile. To Naomi's 14, he couldn't have been more than 19 years old._

 _"H-hi…" Naomi breathed in awe._

 _"It's a fine evening for training, isn't it? Myself, I just finished running 100 laps around the village. And now, vertical push-ups," he said in a boisterous voice as he pushed himself up and down on with just one hand without breaking a sweat. Naomi stared with starry eyes up at him._

 _"That's incredible.."_

 _The man threw his head back and laughed. "Not so. Anyone can achieve this physique if they have the guts to work for it and never give up. What about you, youthful spirit?"_

 _Naomi frowned and resumed with her rhythmic kicks and punches. The wood began to wither away in the spot where she made contact and stained in her blood. "I want to become strong enough to defend myself. I don't ever want to rely on someone else to protect me."_

 _The man frowned and stopped mid-push-up. "Is that so? And, what kind of life is that, where you live only for yourself and accept help from no one?"_

 _Naomi stopped and blushed, embarrassed by her own behavior. "That's not exactly what I meant…I'm just so weak and useless, and I don't want to be anymore."_

 _The man smiled warmly at her. "It's a fine goal to want to become strong. It's an even finer goal to want to use that strength to help others, and protect those that are precious to us. Do you have someone like that?"_

 _"Someone precious to me.." Naomi wondered out loud. "Iruka and Old Man Hokage are really the only people who have given me the time of day. I don't know where I'd be without them, especially Iruka." Naomi suddenly felt ashamed and embarrassed of her bratty attitude and childish behavior that day._

 _"I want to change my answer from before."_

 _"Hm?" The man tilted his head to the side and raised his bushy brow at her._

 _"I'm tired of crying and pitying myself all the time. I want to be strong so I can fight for myself, and I want to be the one to protect Iruka one day. I want to love and be loved like the Hokage- to love this village and ALL its people the way he does. I want to become a respected ninja, the very first one to come out of the Land of Waves."_

 _The man threw his head back once more and laughed a hardy laugh. "That's the spirit! I like your style, kid. What's your name?"_

 _"Naomi Kasai."_

 _"Well, Naomi, you can call me Guy. The passion you just spoke with has me shaken to the core, and I can see the Power of Youth burning up inside you. Stick with me. If you let me, and if you have the grit, I'll help shape you into a fine shinobi capable of achieving fine goals like yours," Guy practically shouted at her as he spoke. Naomi's face lit up as she looked up at her new "sensei" with nothing but respect as the strange ninja balanced himself on one hand above her._

 _"Y-you're really going to help me become a ninja?" she asked. With his free hand, Guy have her a thumbs-up and a smile._

 _"Absolutely. It'll be tough. You'll have to graduate from the academy and reach the rank of Genin first. I'll help you hone your skills as a ninja. The physical training will be the toughest, most grueling thing you've ever attempted in your life. Are you ready for that, Naomi?"_

 _Naomi nodded and gave him a confident smile, determination in her eyes. "I'm ready, Guy-Sensei."_

 _Guy was visibly shaken as he briefly lost his balance. He laughed awkwardly after he regained control. "Excellent! If you work hard and have the courage to never give up on yourself, I promise you can become the shinobi you want to be." He gave her another thumbs-up and flashed her his dashing smile. "I'm off for tonight. Find me anytime you want to train or have a sparring match. And, like I said, I'll help you develop your skills further once you become a Genin. Who knows? Maybe I'll be the one to officially pass you and give you the title of Genin," Guy said with a wink before hopping off the stump and speed-walking back to the village on his hands._

 _Naomi let out a laugh and grinned ear to ear as she watched him. Her world was becoming bigger, her circle of friendship expanding. She was determined to let those connections spread like a wildfire, and her heart swelled at the thought of having love in her heart for every single person in the village someday._

 _She returned to the village and took a seat at the Ichiraku ramen shop. She scarfed down her first bowl and lifted the bowl to her lips, drinking down all the broth, reveling in its warmth as it trickled down her throat and settled in her stomach, sighing with satisfaction. She then slammed the bowl down and panted, trying to catch her breath._

 _"Can I have another bowl, please?" she asked with a sweet smile._

 _"Coming right up, hon," the old man said with a grin._

 _The man had just placed the bowl in front of her, and Naomi rubbed her hands together in preparation to devour her second bowl when Iruka entered and took the seat next to her._

 _"Oh, Iruka, hi. I was actually hoping you would show up here," Naomi said to him._

 _"Yeah? Why's that?" he grumbled with a frown on his face as he turned to her. Naomi looked at him with a far-off look in her eyes and a smile. Iruka blushed and felt a twinge in his heart, and he looked down at the table away from her enchanting green eyes._

 _"Geez, what's with that look so suddenly, huh?" He then slammed a fist on the table and turned to her, ready to scold her with the same flustered frustration she would come to expect from him. "What's your deal? You act like you can't stand me, and then you look at me like- like that. What's with you?"_

 _"I guess I was just imagining…how great it would be someday if I could be more like you," she said with a smile, catching Iruka off guard once again._

 _"Then you go and say something like that.." he said quietly to himself. "Look, I don't know what's gotten into you, but if you're done being weird, I want to talk to you about earlier."_

 _"Hm?" Naomi tilted her head to one side._

 _"Look," he began with a sigh and looked down as he spoke. "I understand how you feel. But, it gets easier, I promise. And you don't have to do it alone. There's at least one person in the village that doesn't totally hate you."_

 _"Right. You mean Old Man Hokage."_

 _"What- no, I mean me," Iruka said as he turned to face Naomi in disbelief. She smiled and chuckled._

 _"Iruka.." Naomi placed her hands on his cheeks and leaned in close to him, pushing his headband up off of his forehead, and kissed him gently on the forehead. Iruka tensed up in his seat, his heart thumping so loud he feared Naomi might hear it, and his cheeks burning. Her long hair grazed his cheek and his neck, sending a chill through his body, and her lips soft like flower petals on his skin. "Thank you for putting up with me. I'm sorry for how I acted earlier too," Naomi said._

 _"Well, it's not easy. Don't worry about it," Iruka laughed nervously as he put his headband back in place. "Hey, what happened there?" he asked suddenly, taking notice of her bruised knuckles, genuinely concerned, but desperately wanting to change the subject._

 _"Oh, that's what I wanted to tell you!" Naomi said with excitement, her face lighting up. "I was at the training grounds all day today. I'm going to go to the ninja academy and become the first shinobi ever from the Land of Waves," Naomi said with excitement, bouncing in her seat as she spoke._

 _"Naomi, that's great," Iruka said with a smile. "What made you decide that?" he asked. Naomi smiled down at her own reflection in her pork broth._

" _I guess I just gained a little perspective today. I'm tired of crying, running, and feeling useless. At first, I was so angry that all I could think about was being able to fight back next time those bullies pick a fight with me. But, that's such a short-sighted, goal. I want more than that. Becoming strong just to defeat an enemy would be such a waste compared to gaining strength from my friends and for my friends, don't you think?"_

 _"Naomi.." Iruka looked at her in astonishment and with sincere admiration for the first time since he had met her six months ago. Something had changed in Naomi. Like a moth to a flame, so was Iruka enchanted by the fire in Naomi's heart in that moment._

Naomi panted as she glared at Toru from across the arena, a small pool of blood forming at her feet as thick, crimson drops fell from her chin, two trails beginning at her mouth and her head. She cracked a cocky smile and spit a mouthful of blood on the floor.

"You had me going there for a minute. I almost thought this wouldn't be any fun at all."

"Brave words for someone on their last legs," Toru scoffed her way as he ripped the kunai out of his side like it was nothing. At this, Naomi laughed, and Toru glared and clenched his fist so tightly that it trembled with rage.

"You're so scary and menacing over there. I'm just getting my second wind," Naomi said as she locked her fingers together and stretched her arms high above her head, arching her back and loosening her muscles. She then took up a fighting stance and let her chakra flow to her hands for power and her feet for speed. "You're welcome to come at me if you think you can," she said with a confident, determined fire in her eyes.

Toru roared as he charged at Naomi. They clashed in the middle of the arena, fist to fist, only this time, Naomi matched him perfectly in strength blow for blow. Toru threw another punch, and Naomi caught his fist in her hand and bent his wrist back in a powerful, jerking motion. He cried out and wavered, his knees wobbling but refusing to go down. Naomi grunted as she threw her head forward and smashed her forehead against his, sending him stumbling back. A back handspring saved him from a fall, and he launched himself right back at Naomi.

They fought fiercely for what felt like forever. The entire audience sat hushed and on the edge of their seats, waiting to see who would arise victorious. Iruka sat hunched forward with his chin resting on his hands, tapping his foot and holding his breath, becoming restless.

"Iruka-Sensei," Sakura began. Iruka exhaled and turned to her. "Do you think Naomi can win?" she asked.

"Of course. I have no doubt in my mind," he answered. He believed it with every bone in his body, yet he still worried. With every hit Toru landed, with every drop of blood, Iruka wanted to step in. "She's too stubborn to lose. She's trained so hard, and she'd been waiting to show everyone what she can do, so she won't give up until she physically can't go on. That's what worries me," he answered and turned back to watch the fight in the arena.

Naomi was now in retreat, dodging instead of attacking. She threw a single punch and expelled a small amount of chakra to repel Toru, pushing him back several meters. She huffed and panted as she fought to stay on her feet, her legs shaking beneath her. Her body glistened with sweat, and bruises were beginning to form.

 _I'm running low on chakra. I still have my ace in the hole, but I'll need to go back on the offensive,_ she thought to herself. She took a single step forward and winced in pain. Every muscle in her body ached, and more than once during the fight she heard the _crack_ of bones in her knuckles and her ribs. She gritted her teeth as she forced herself to swallow the pain and show no tears, though her eyes still watered. She crumbled to her knees, exhausted. _Maybe I used too much chakra. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Everyone that invested time in me, everyone that believed in me…I'm just a huge disappointment._

Toru walked calmly over to her, a twisted grin on his face. Naomi sat with her head hanging as he approached, the crisp crunch of sand beneath his feet growing closer, but she remained docile, as if she didn't care. She didn't defend as he kicked her in the face, knocking her to the ground, and she didn't try to get up.

"You can do it, Naomi! Don't give up now!" Lee shouted. The crowd soon followed suit and chanted for Naomi to get up and continue to fight. She chuckled to herself, even with Toru standing over her.

 _What am I doing? Don't be such a baby… I still have_ some _chakra. I just need to be smart about how I use it._

As he was about to deliver the final blow, Shikamaru made a hand sign, ready to perform his shadow possession jutsu if he needed to end the fight. Just as Toru was about to connect, Naomi made a hand sign and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"A substitution! So she still wants to fight," Sakura said.

Toru looked around the arena frantically trying to find her, but she was nowhere to be found. The crowd shared in his confusion.

"Think you can hide from me, little girl?" Toru growled as he went on a rampage, punching the ground with explosive power, cracking the earth beneath him. He did this all over the arena in desperate search of Naomi. Indeed, Naomi was hiding deep underground. In combination with her substitution, she quickly performed her hidden mole jutsu by creating a thin barrier of chakra around her body that turned solid earth into soft sand around her.

She listened intently to Toru's actions above her, eyes closed, hands at the ready. The vibrations of his movements gave away his exact position to Naomi.

 _The perimeter isn't very wide…I'll have to be fast. C'mon, just a little closer…gotcha!_

Naomi rapidly fired off a chain of hand signs.

 _Seal and Capture Perimeter!_

"Ngh!" Toru's eyes widened suddenly in panic as he became paralyzed. "I-I can't move…what the hell.." he grunted, gritting his teeth.

"W-what's going on?" TenTen wondered out loud as she leaned forward over the railing to get a better look.

"Does anyone see Naomi?" Sakura asked. Everyone scanned the arena for her. Suddenly, Naomi erupted from the earth a few feet from Toru, landing on her hands and knees and gasping for air. She then laughed in disbelief.

"I can't believe that worked!"

"You- what did you do to me?" Toru demanded.

"Relax, I didn't do anything to you, but I'll explain it for you. You remember those six kunai I threw earlier, don't you? They had seals wrapped around their grips. Once you stepped into their range, all I had to do was activate them. I was hoping they'd make a bigger perimeter when you deflected them, but I guess I worried for nothing," she said with a grin.

The crowd went insane, screaming and cheering, jumping out of their seats, Iruka most of all. He smiled with pride down at her and clutched his pounding heart.

"She really did it.." he said.

"I thought you already knew she would win, Iruka-Sensei," Sakura said.

"Of course, I did. It's just- I never expected her to use the jutsu I taught her to do it."

"Do you surrender?" Naomi asked Toru. He glared at her ferociously.

"Fine. I give up," he begrudgingly admitted. Shikamaru raised his hand.

"This match has been concluded! The victor is Naomi Kasai of the Hidden Leaf!"

"Finally," Naomi breathed as she released her seal on Toru. He fell to his knees, and Naomi collapsed to the ground, sitting on the ground then letting herself fall back. "I'm beat," she said as she tucked one arm under her head, and she was snoring almost immediately. Medical ninja rushed onto the arena for both Toru and Naomi. They loaded her onto a stretcher and carried her to the infirmary.

In a private room, she slept peacefully in a hospital bed with a smile on her face while Toru was being checked in another private room. Guy sat in a chair on the other side of the room, waiting to be the first person to congratulate her. The door then opened, and Iruka entered the room.

"Oh, excuse me. I didn't realize you were already visiting with her," he apologized to Guy and turned to leave.

"Why don't you wait with me?" Guy offered with a smile on his face. "I'm sure she'd want you here when she wakes up."

Iruka smiled and pulled up a seat next to Guy. "Thank you. And, thank you for taking on Naomi as your student all these years in addition to your team. No Jonin was willing or able to accept her, but you helped make her dream come true today. I'll always be grateful for that."

Guy raised an eye brow at Iruka. He looked Iruka square in the face, like he was staring through his soul, Guy's bushy brows furrowed, and his eyes narrowed. "Do you have romantic feelings for my Naomi?" he asked point-blank.

"W-what? No!" Iruka waved his hands between them and shook his head feverishly. "I mean, I care about her, of course. She's my oldest friend. What do you mean _your_ Naomi?"

"Well, why not?" Guy demanded, ignoring Iruka's question. "She's a lovely woman and a fine shinobi. She's beautiful, brilliant, compassionate, and I believe she could even make Jonin someday if she wanted. Do those things not interest you?"

"Wha- you're upset now?" Iruka asked awkwardly as a bead of sweat formed on his forehead. "Please, Guy. I know all of that just as well as you do. I love Naomi like you love Naomi. Can we leave it at that?" Iruka begged him to drop the subject. Guy folded his arms and leaned comfortably back in his seat, though the stern expression on his face never changed as he spoke.

"Listen, Iruka. That girl would go to any lengths to make us proud of her. She's given us her heart, something fragile and precious, and it's our responsibility to take care of it. Do you understand?"

Iruka looked to Naomi still sleeping peacefully with a sweet smile on her face.

"I think I do," Iruka said as he wondered if she could be seeing him in her dreams, making her smile like that.


	3. The Late Bloomer

_One by one, students entered the examination room to perform their final exams and earn their headbands. As Naomi's time drew closer, her heart raced faster and faster until the point where she thought she'd throw up. With no idea in mind what the final exam would be this time, her nerves were overwhelming her, and she prayed the exam would test her taijutsu skills._

 _Her time came, and her heart sank to her stomach as she stared at the door, afraid to move forward. Her hands shook as she slid the door open. She inched her way in timidly and closed the door behind her. Inside, two male instructors waited for her.._

 _"Alright Naomi. No need to be so nervous. You've got it this time," one of them said._

 _"We just need to see your transformation jutsu. Whenever you're ready," the other said._

 _Naomi nodded and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and focused, and all of time and space seemed to fade away as she was got in her own head._

I can do this. Focus.

 _Naomi opened her eyes, a new wave of determination taking over. She made her hand sign and focused with all her might, trying to feel the chakra flowing through her._

 _"Transform!"_

 _The instructors waited expectantly, but nothing happened. Again, and again, and again, Naomi made the same hand sign until her desperation became too sad to watch._

 _"Naomi…"_

 _"I can do it. Just wait," she pleaded and continued to make her hand sign over and over again._

 _"I'm sorry, Naomi. We can't pass you."_

 _Naomi stopped and dropped her arms to her side, letting them hang like dead weights, as if the life had been sucked out of her._

 _"I understand," she said, with no emotion in her voice, empty and monotone. "I'll work harder. I'll be ready next time," she said with more optimism, a weak smile on her face._

 _The instructors exchanged worried glances with one another._

 _"Naomi, we think it might be best to start considering other options," one man said._

 _"It's just- it's not common for a sixteen-year-old to still be an academy student," the other man added._

 _"W-what?" Naomi asked in disbelief. "Am I being kicked out of the academy?"_

 _"N-no! We didn't say that. That's not our intent."_

 _"So, what are you saying, then? I should just choose to give up on my own?" she demanded. Both instructors looked down in shame, unable to look Naomi in the eye and tell her exactly what they were thinking. An uncomfortable silence fell over the room as Naomi waited for one of them to answer. She studied their faces, looking into their eyes for any clue as to what they were thinking._

 _The instructors exchanged knowing glances, as if they were thinking the same thing, but neither could speak it, like they were bound to a painful secrecy that was eating them alive._

 _"Hmph. No one wants to talk? That's fine," Naomi said. She stormed to the door and threw it open. She then turned to face the instructors while standing in the doorway. "You can fail me as many time as you want. I'll never give up on becoming a ninja." She then turned and sprinted away down the hall._

 _She burst through the entrance and gasped as she collided with someone on the other side. She grunted and flinched as they both landed on the ground._

 _"Ngh.."_

 _"Are you alright?" came a familiar voice._

 _Naomi opened her eyes and found herself lying on top of Iruka. He smiled up at her and laughed as she blushed and pushed herself up off of him._

 _"Iruka! I'm so sorry. Geez, what are you asking if I'm okay for? I'm the one that knocked you down," she said with a laugh. She extended her hand and pulled him up off the ground._

 _"Ah, don't worry about it. I'm fine. I was actually on my way to see you," he said with a smile._

 _"Me? Why?" she asked._

 _"Today was your exam, wasn't it? The way you ran out of there, you must have been pretty excited. You must have good news!" he said with excitement._

 _Naomi bit her lip and looked down, unable to break the news to him, especially with that look on his face. Like a puppy anxiously waiting for a treat, Iruka waited for Naomi's answer._

 _"Well, actually.."_

 _Iruka's smile faded from his face. He looked from her forehead, to her neck, to her waist, scanning her body for a leaf headband, but there wasn't one to be found._

 _"Oh, Naomi.." Iruka pulled her into a hug._

 _"Don't act so sad," Naomi said with a nervous laugh. "I'll work harder and get it next time."_

 _"That's what I love about you, Naomi. With that attitude, you can never lose." Iruka smiled down at her and patted her on the head as if she were a small child._

 _"Have I mentioned that I hate it when you do that?" Naomi asked._

 _"Oh, sorry," Iruka said with a laugh. "I guess I still see that 14-year-old girl when I look at you."_

 _"You're only two years older than me. Don't act like you're a grown adult. To me, you're still the same punk 16-year-old," Naomi said, sticking out her tongue._

 _"Aw, c'mon. You don't think I've grown up at all?" he asked._

 _Naomi looked up at Iruka and what a man he had become. When they had first met, he still had a baby face, wore baggy, tattered clothes, rose only an inch above Naomi, and his headband took up most of the space on his head. The man before her today was a respectable shinobi. He wore his vest and his headband with pride. Iruka now towered over Naomi, his face longer with a square jawline, and he had grown into the headband. The only constant was his bright, infectious smile._

 _"Hmph. You may have gotten a little taller, but I bet you're still just as immature as ever. I bet you've slacked on your training, too. I could probably even match you in a sparring match, maybe even win," Naomi said, her hands on her hips._

 _"Oh, yeah? How about we have a sparring match to prove it? You can show me how good your taijutsu's gotten." Iruka bent his knees to lower himself to Naomi's level, again, as if he were talking to a child, with an annoying grin on his face, expecting her to get worked up about it._

 _She acted tough, puffing out her chest and making herself tall, but her face betrayed her as it lit up. "I'll show you just how strong I've gotten. Just remember, you asked for it," she said._

 _Naomi started off toward the training field. Iruka shook her head and smiled after her as he followed her._

 _#_

 _"I don't know how to begin to tell her," Guy said, standing before Hiruzen in the Hokage's office with a pained expression on his face. "I don't even understand it. How can someone not possess chakra?"_

 _Hiruzen drew a heavy sigh and lit his pipe. "I don't understand it myself. All students at the academy go through annual physicals, and Naomi is the only child ever to have this occur. We can't sense her chakra at all, and I've been notified by her instructors that she's shown zero progress. She couldn't perform a transformation jutsu and failed her graduation exam again."_

 _"Lord Hokage, with all due respect, isn't it too soon to come to that conclusion? My ninjutsu skills were non-existent when I was an academy student, too. Naomi just hasn't blossomed yet."_

 _"This isn't the same situation, Guy. It's not simply a matter of Naomi being inept at ninjutsu. You have chakra flowing through your chakra network. I'm beginning to think Naomi doesn't possess chakra at all. If she wants to continue down this path, she can't just go blindly. She has to know that it may never happen for her."_

 _Guy furrowed his bushy brows and frowned and gazed out the window. A group of children ran around in circles playing "ninja" outside the Hokage's estate._

 _"She's worked so hard. She works hard every day. I can't tell her that it might have been all for nothing. I built her up and told her she could attain her dreams if she kept working hard."_

 _"That's why it has to be you. She'll never accept it coming from anyone else."_

 _Guy grinned to himself._

 _"She may not even accept it from me. It's my fault, really. I don't think she knows how to give up."_

 _#_

 _Iruka and Naomi fell to the ground, panting and sweating._

 _"I think that's enough for today," Iruka said, lying back on the ground, cushioning the back of his head with his arm._

 _"Giving up already? I could go all day," Naomi said with a laugh as she fell beside him. "But, if you're done, I wouldn't mind taking a break."_

 _Iruka laughed._

 _"Sure, of course," he joked. "Well, you weren't wrong. We seemed pretty evenly matched out there. You've gotten strong. Your taijutsu skills are really impressive."_

 _Naomi grinned, brimming with pride. "I have an incredible teacher."_

 _"Guy, right? It's no surprise your taijutsu has improved so much."_

 _Naomi's smile faded away._

Taijutsu, taijutsu, taijutsu. I wish people would stop reminding me, _she thought._

 _"Iruka? Can you explain chakra to me?"_

 _"What? You know what chakra is. Why are you asking?"_

 _"I was just wondering…what does it feel like? Can you feel it right now just lying here? What about when you use ninjutsu? Can you feel it then?"_

 _Iruka sat up and frowned down at Naomi._

 _"Naomi, what's going on?"_

 _Naomi sat up and hugged her legs close to her chest, resting her chin on her knees._

 _"My instructors think I'm wasting my time. Maybe they're right. What if there's a reason shinobi don't come from the Land of Waves? What if I'll never be able to use ninjutsu or genjutsu?"_

 _"What!? Naomi, how can you even say that?"_

 _"Alright! Ssh! Geez, I'm sorry I mentioned it. Please, don't tell. If Guy heard me talking like this, he'd give me 1,000 laps around the village on my hands." She looked down at her feet, pouting. "It gets so tiring being brave all the time- smiling and laughing like nothing gets to me. I feel like I can't talk to anyone about these doubts, not even Guy-sensei. He'd be so disappointed in me."_

 _"You're just like how I was…" Iruka thought aloud._

 _"Hm?" Naomi tilted her head and looked up at him under her long eye lashes, her long hair falling over her face. Iruka brushed her hair over her shoulder and put a hand on her shoulder._

 _"You don't have to hide your fears and doubts behind a smile with me. And, I'm sure there's nothing you could ever do to disappoint Guy-sensei. He would want to know how you're feeling so he can help you work through it. Sure, he might answer with tough love, but that's just it. He loves you, and so do- o-other people, you know," Iruka said, faltering and turning away out of embarrassment. He cleared his throat. "Just, don't keep those feelings to yourself anymore. You can always be yourself around me, no matter how you're feeling," he muttered, still unable to look Naomi in the eyes. She smiled up at him._

 _"Iruka-"_

 _"She's right though," an unfamiliar voice came. Both Naomi and Iruka turned and saw three men who looked to be Iruka's age coming out of the trees. "Someone from the Land of Waves could never become a ninja," their ring-leader said._

 _"Alright, guys, why don't you just turn around and go back the way you came? We're not looking for a fight," Iruka said as he stood up and walked towards the men alone._

 _"Well, you've got one if you still wanna hang around that nobody, that outsider," their leader said._

 _"Are you guys still on that? Why don't you try growing up?" Iruka said with a cocky grin._

 _The first man glared at Iruka and threw the first punch. Iruka easily dodged and twisted the man's arm behind his back. Iruka held him there like that, his friends unsure what to do as they didn't want to go threw him to get to Iruka._

 _"What gives you the right to say who can and can't become a ninja?" Iruka asked, still with a firm hold on the man. "Anyone who has the strength to keep working for it can become a ninja. You'll never be half the shinobi that Naomi's going to be."_

 _Iruka let the man go, shoving him forward towards his friends. He spun around and glared in Naomi's direction._

 _"We see her training with that freak taijutsu user. She'll never amount to anything," he said as he threw another punch, catching Iruka off guard. He landed a direct hit in Iruka's face and caused him to waver and step back, maintaining his balance._

 _In that moment, something snapped in Naomi. The wall of self-doubt in her mind crumbled. Everything she feared melted away. All she could see were her treasured friends: Iruka, Guy, and Lord Hokage. The urge to protect them had never been stronger. Her blood boiled as the three men laughed in Iruka's face, paying no attention to Naomi._

Big mistake.

 _Her rage fueled her, and a wave of energy surged through her body that she had never felt before, giving her the strength and the courage to rush to Iruka's side, rather than sitting back like always._

 _"Don't ever let me hear you talking about my sensei like that again," she said through gritted teeth as she stomped towards them. They all laughed at her._

 _"What are you gonna do? Tell you what- I'll give you the first punch for free," the leader said, holding out his arms, leaving himself wide open._

 _"And don't ever put your hands on Iruka again," she said as she balled her hand into a fist. She threw her whole body into the punch, lunging forward. A burst of energy surged through her body, shot through her arm and focused itself in her fist._

 _"Naomi, wait. Don't waste your time." Iruka stepped in between them, putting his hands up to stop her. Naomi punched Iruka in the gut and expelled a burst of energy from her fist that sent him flying across the entire length of the training field. He only stopped rolling when he collided with a tree at the other end of the field. The three men turned on their heels and ran away._

 _"I thought you said she couldn't use chakra!" one of them complained._

 _"She can't!"_

 _"What.." Naomi breathed as her heart sank to her stomach. A loud snapping sound came from behind her. She turned her head, and a surge of panic shot her heart back into her chest so violently, she thought it might burst out of her chest. The tree had snapped at the point of contact and was falling over Iruka, lying unconscious._

 _"Iruka!" Naomi sprinted towards him with all her might._

I'm not gonna make it to him in time!

 _A wave of energy coursed through her entire body as she dug her heels into the ground and caught the falling tree in her palms. Naomi trembled under the immense weight of the tree. She dropped to one knee, and her arms burned as she struggled to push the tree off of her shoulders and above her head. Tears welled at the corners of her eyes as she fought to stay strong._

I can't do it…

 _Suddenly, the burden was lifted from her shoulders. Naomi gasped, wide-eyed and stunned. She turned to her left to see who had come to help her. Guy stood beside her, grunting as he lifted the tree onto his shoulders._

 _"Guy-Sensei!" she gasped._

 _"Are you going to sit there, or are you going to help me?" he grunted. Naomi nodded._

 _"Yes, sir." She stood and added her remaining strength to his, moving the tree away from Iruka and dropping it at their feet with a thunderous crash that shook the earth beneath them. Without hesitation, Naomi rushed to Iruka's side and collapsed to her knees beside him._

 _"Iruka, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-"_

 _"What the Hell happened here?" Guy demanded, towering over Naomi with his arms crossed and his bushy brows furrowed, like a disappointed father._

 _Naomi put her ear to Iruka's chest and sighed with relief at the sound of his beating heart._

 _"I-I don't know. I'll take whatever punishment you assign me later. Iruka needs medical attention," Naomi said as she hunched herself low to the ground and lifted Iruka onto her back, draping him awkwardly over her shoulders. She drew long, deep breaths as she carried Iruka forward, his legs dragging on the ground behind them, her brow and chest glistening with sweat. Guy shook his head and smiled faintly._

 _"Let me help," he said as he lifted Iruka off Naomi's shoulders and carried him on his back. "We'll talk about this later."_

 _"Yes, sir," Naomi said, hanging her head as she followed him to the hospital._

 _#_

 _Naomi and Guy stood outside Iruka's hospital room while a medical ninja examined him. Naomi stood on the tips of her toes to peek into the room through the window on the door. Guy stood with his arms folded, waiting._

 _"At some point today, we need to talk about this. What happened out there?" he asked, his tone softer and less demanding than before._

 _"We were sparring," Naomi explained turning to her sensei reluctantly, hanging her head as she spoke. "Everything was fine until these guys showed up and picked a fight with us. Iruka tried to stop it before it even started. This guy insulted you and hit Iruka, and I just lost it. I was so angry. I felt stronger than ever suddenly. I threw a punch, and Iruka got in the way. It was the same when I was holding up the tree. I don't know where that strength came from, but it doesn't matter. I still wasn't strong enough."_

 _"Naomi…" Guy reached out to her. Just then, the door slid open, and the medical ninja stepped out with a nurse. She smiled sweetly down at Naomi._

 _"He's awake now, if you'd like to see him," she said to Naomi. Naomi's face lit up, and she took a step towards the door, but the medical ninja put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her._

 _"Young lady, you got very lucky today. Please, be careful when sparring from now on, and practice your chakra control," he warned her. Guy was visibly taken aback._

 _"Yes sir," Naomi said before entering Iruka's room, while Guy pulled the medical ninja aside._

 _Naomi slid the door shut behind her and timidly walked over to Iruka's side, fidgeting with her long hair and braiding a few thin strands._

 _"You don't have to be so nervous," Iruka said with a laugh, grabbing his side and wincing in pain._

 _"Iruka, I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened back there. I didn't mean to-"_

 _"It's alright, Naomi. I'm fine. I know you would never hurt me," he said with a smile._

 _"How bad is it?" Naomi asked._

 _"Well, I have two broken ribs, so I won't be going on any missions for a couple weeks. That's not so bad," he said. He propped himself up on his elbows and pushed himself upright, revealing his bare chest and medical gauze wrapped around the lower half of his torso. "I can't believe you did that with one blow. You were holding back on me during our match," he said with a laugh, and he grabbed his side again._

 _"Iruka, don't. You should lay back down," Naomi said with a frown. She stacked and propped his pillows up behind him. She then put a hand on his chest and gave him a gentle push back onto his pillows. He let out a single chuckle._

 _"I'm fine. Really. You don't have to worry about me."_

 _The door slid open then, and Guy entered the room, shutting the door behind him._

 _"How are you feeling, Iruka?" he asked, stopping next to Naomi and resting a hand on her shoulder._

 _"I'm feeling fine. I could be on my feet if I wanted to."_

 _"Don't even think about leaving that bed," Naomi said. Iruka laughed, and again, grabbed his aching ribs. "And stop laughing. You almost died today. Act like it. You're such a freak," Naomi said. She tried to maintain her scowl, but she cracked, the corners of her lips curling into a smile, and she couldn't help but laugh with him._

 _"I'm just glad you're both alright. You both got very lucky today," Guy said._

 _"Thanks to you, Guy-Sensei. I'm the one that caused the accident, and I couldn't even fix it. If you hadn't shown up when you did…" Naomi trailed off. She then tilted her head and looked up at Guy. "What were you doing out there anyway?" she asked him._

 _"O-oh, well, I was looking for you actually," Guy said. "I thought you might be at the training grounds as usual."_

 _"Oh, yeah? What did you want to see me for?" she asked. Guy hesitated, racking his brain for any alternative to the truth. His face then lit up, as if a light bulb went off in his head._

 _"I wanted to hear about your exam today. I heard it was on the transformation jutsu. Would you mind performing it for me?" Guy asked._

 _"Oh. Um…" Naomi didn't have the heart to tell him that she failed the exam, just as Guy didn't have the heart to tell her there was a reason for that. "Sure," she said, feigning confidence. "Now, what should I transform into?" she wondered aloud, scanning the room, stalling for time. Outside the window, a cat perched high in a tree. Naomi nodded and closed her eyes, focusing with all her might._

I can do this. I can't let down Guy-Sensei. Focus. Feel the energy flowing through your chakra channel…

 _Naomi imagined what her chakra might look like as it coursed through her body. She imagined a thin, purple aura radiating from her heart and engulfing her body. She opened her eyes then, a look of determination on her face. She made the hand sign._

 _"Transform!"_

 _A cloud of smoke erupted, and when it dissipated, Naomi was still standing. She hung her head in shame._

 _"I'm sorry, Guy-Sensei. I didn't want to tell you, but-" Naomi looked up at Guy and stopped short. "Guy-Sensei?"_

 _Guy's mouth hung open, and his cheeks were bright pink. Naomi raised her eyebrow at him and then turned to Iruka._

 _"What- why are you two looking at me that way?" she asked, as Iruka's cheeks burned even brighter. Naomi then caught her reflection in the window, and gasped, bringing her hand up to cover her open mouth. She then lifted her hands above her head to feel the cat ears that had sprouted out of her head, and they twitched at her touch._

 _"Oh, my God- I almost have it! Let me try again," she said with excitement. "Transform!" she said as she made her hand sign. Another cloud of smoke erupted and dissipated. Naomi still hadn't transformed completely, but she had sprouted a long, purple tail. Naomi leaned forward, curving her back and looking over her shoulder, and she smiled ear-to-ear as her tail flailed around of its own will. Both Iruka and Guy covered their noses with their hands to keep blood from spurting, and their cheeks burned even brighter._

 _"So cute…" Iruka muttered under his breath._

 _"Almost, almost. One more time!" Naomi declared. She closed her eyes and concentrated harder than ever. She took a deep breath and made the hand sign one more time._

 _"Transform!"_

 _A cloud of smoke formed, and this time, as the smoke separated, Naomi was nowhere to be found; instead, a small cat stood where she once stood. The cat hopped onto Iruka's lap with grace and purred with delight._

 _"Naomi, you did it! I knew you would get the hang of it," Iruka said, beaming with joy, while Guy stood beaming with pride in his student._

 _"Always overcoming obstacles…" he said quietly to himself. "I don't understand it, but I don't care. I should have never doubted you, Naomi."_

 _Another cloud of smoke, and the cat transformed into Naomi once more, and she sat straddling Iruka's lap, straddling him._

 _"I don't believe it. I actually did it." Naomi's heart swelled with happiness, and tears welled in her eyes. "I'm gonna be a ninja." The tears flowed freely now. Iruka smiled up at her and held her hands in his. She smiled and rested her forehead tenderly against his and laughed. "I'm sorry, I just can't stop crying. I'm so happy."_

 _Iruka laughed with her. "You're always such a crybaby," he said as a single tear trickled down his cheek. Naomi smiled down at him, and he brushed her long hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. Her heart thumped loud enough for her to hear as she noticed for the first time how close they were._

 _"I'll leave you two to yourselves," Guy said with a smile, and he left the room. Naomi looked after him and wiped the tears from her eyes._

" _I'll be right back," she said as she hopped off the bed and followed him. Stunned, Guy turned at the sound of the door sliding open once more behind him._

" _Guy-Sensei, I wanted to talk to you about something that's been weighing on my mind," Naomi said. "A couple things, actually," she added._

" _Hm? What is it, Naomi?"_

" _Well…" Naomi hung her head and twiddled her fingers. "I have a confession to make," she blurted. "I was having doubts earlier today. I was starting to think I couldn't ever become a ninja," she said. Guy took one step toward her, and Naomi immediately dropped her head and bowed low to the ground to her sensei._

 _"I'll take whatever punishment you give me, Guy-Sensei!" she said, and he stopped in his tracks. "I'm sorry…I just- felt like I wasn't making any progress for all my hard work. I failed my exam today, and then to hear from some strangers that I can't even use chakra…but, I'll never doubt myself again, no matter what anyone says or what happens. As long as I live, I want to make you proud and be worthy of your smile." She flinched as she heard the clack of his sandals come closer to her, expecting some sort of corporal punishment. She peeked through one eye as he patted her on the head and tousled her hair. He kneeled beside her and pulled her into a hug. "Guy-Sensei..?"_

 _"I have always been proud to call you my pupil, Naomi." Guy stood up and patted her on the head again. "Everyone has fear, doubts, moments of weakness…you might be surprised to know that even I've had my fair share."_

 _Naomi's eyes widened._

 _"You, Guy-Sensei? You're so powerful!" Naomi said in astonishment. Guy threw his head back and laughed._

 _"And how do you think I got to where I am? Having the strength and the courage to get back up after falling is what carves us into great shinobi. Forgiving ourselves for our mistakes and learning from them. There's no looking back in youth- you can only move forward." Guy smiled down at Naomi and gave her a thumbs-up. Naomi smiled a bright smile and hugged him, her arms wrapped around his waist, and her head barely reaching his chest._

 _"Thank you, Guy-Sensei."_

 _Guy smiled and tousled her hair affectionately. He then put his hands on her shoulders and held her away from him at arm's length._

 _"Now, let's talk about your punishment. For recklessly endangering a comrade, I want 500 laps around the village before the sun goes down."_

 _"Yes, sir," Naomi said with a smile. "I'll get started right away, and if I can't finish my laps before sundown, then I'll sentence myself to bed without dinner, and I'll do 500 more laps at sunrise."_

 _"That's the spirit, Naomi," Guy said with a smile, and he gave her one more thumbs-up._

 _"Oh! I have to say goodbye to Iruka first," Naomi said, and she turned on her heels and returned to Iruka's room._

 _Guy's smile faded as he watched Naomi leave Iruka's room with a smile on her face and leave down the hallway to start her laps. Something was still weighing on his mind. The Leaf's medical ninja are the finest in all the five great nations. Not being able to sense Naomi's chakra was no mistake. So, why so suddenly was Naomi able to use chakra?_

 _The implications worried him, and he wondered who could have sealed her chakra, and why. All he could do now was watch over Naomi and her growth as a shinobi as he had been._


	4. Death in the Family - Sleeper Awakened

_Gray skies loomed over the Hidden Leaf, its people shaken after the hidden Sand and Sound's attack during the Chunin Exams. The village gathered to mourn the loss of their leader, their beloved Hokage. Naomi stood shoulder to shoulder with her fellow citizens, Iruka standing right beside her. She looked up towards the sky and asked herself how something like this could happen, and why. How could such a great man be taken away? Why did good people die anyway? Why did people hurt each other, and where does that darkness come from that drives people to kill those they once called 'friend'? Whatever the motivation, it didn't matter. Lord Third was gone, the Leaf Village was vulnerable and without a leader, and a young boy was without a grandfather._

 _A single raindrop landed on Naomi's cheek, and the skies soon opened up and rained over the village, weeping for the loss of a fine shinobi and great man. Konohamaru stood next to Iruka, his chest heaving as he sniffled and wiped tears away from his eyes, fighting the urge to cry. Iruka dropped to one knee and hugged Konohamaru tightly. Konohamaru cried into Iruka's chest, and everyone looked down on the boy with pity. Naomi's heart was being torn apart by a physical pain. She held her hand to her heart and clenched it into a fist as she too fought to maintain control of her emotions._

 _She disappeared soon after the ceremony finished and rushed home without saying a word to anyone, not even Iruka. She stomped up to her front door, threw it open and slammed it shut behind her. She leaned back against the door and sank to the floor. The instant she hit the floor, she buried her face in her hands and sobbed. A numbness had taken root in her heart, and she had lost any motivation to move. In the darkness of her empty home, she continued to cry. She leaned to the side and let herself fall to the floor, curling into a ball like a frightened child._

 _A sudden urgent knock on her door startled her. She bit her lip and remained silent, listening._

 _"Naomi? Are you in there?" Iruka's muffled voice came from the other side of the door. "You left the ceremony so fast. Are you okay? Please, if you're in there, let me in."_

 _Naomi wiped the tears away from her face and pushed herself up off the floor. She took a deep breath and opened the door with a brave face, though she couldn't do anything to hide the redness and puffiness in her cheeks from crying._

 _"Naomi.." In one swift, fluid motion, Iruka stepped beyond the door, shut it behind him, and threw his arms around Naomi, pulling her into a tender embrace. Naomi's eyes watered with fresh tears, and she buried her face in Iruka's chest and continued to cry. Iruka stayed silent and allowed Naomi to cry as much as she needed to._

 _"Thank you," she said to him once she had regained her composure. They sat together on the sofa, Natalie resting her head on his shoulder. "I feel so selfish, crying like this, when I should be strong like you. I just feel empty and lost...I loved him like he was my own grandfather. It's not fair, Iruka. He was so loved by everyone in the village. He touched all our lives and meant so much to each and every one of us. He was... a thousand times the human being any of us could hope to be, and he was still taken away. Why did this happen?" Silence fell over the room again, Iruka thinking hard about what he wanted to say._

 _"I don't know why people do it," he finally said. "Lord Third meant more to all of us than Orochimaru will ever mean to anybody." Iruka choked on his words as he fought the anger rising inside him. He took a deep breath. "I'm sure they thought the village would crumble if they could take him from us. But, they can only take away the man. They can't take away the love, the memories, the connections he had to all of us...they can't erase the impact he had on our lives, and his will lives on in all of us. We're all bound by our love for the Hokage and each other, and that's what makes our village strong. It's something no one can touch. It's okay for us to feel lost, and it's okay to cry for a fallen loved one. But, we'll always come back stronger."_

 _Naomi smiled. "I remember the night you found me and brought me to the hospital, and I remember meeting Lord Hokage for the first time, how kind and welcoming he was. He hugged me and comforted me like I was his own grandchild."_

 _Iruka smiled as well. "I remember how supportive he was after I lost my parents, and again how supportive he was when I became an instructor at the academy."_

 _Naomi's heart swelled as she looked up at Iruka and listened to him, his smile infecting her and lifting her spirits._

 _"You know, I sat out these Chunin Exams because I wasn't ready. I was more than happy to sit on the sidelines and cheer on Team Guy. But, I can't wait anymore. I'm going to work even harder to prepare for the next Chunin Exams. Lord Hokage loved this village and all its people enough to die for it. The very least I can do to honor his memory is to become the ninja I swore to become and put my life on the line to protect the village. I can't sit around and let his sacrifice be for nothing. Just you wait- the next Chunin Exams are mine."_

 _Naomi relaxed in her seat with a satisfied grin. "I'll never lose anyone important to me again if I have anything to do about it," she said, and she held onto Iruka's hand in such a way, like she didn't ever want to let go, as if he might disappear into thin air if she did. Iruka smiled and gave her hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze._

 _"I'll help you any way I can, Naomi. Just, don't forget, your life is important to someone too."_

 _"Hm... I guess Lee might be pretty devastated if something happened to me. And, there's Guy-Sensei, of course," she said with a smile, waiting for the typical reaction from Iruka when she teased him, but instead, he smiled down at her._

 _"You've touched more people than you realize. And.." Iruka's smile faded as he adopted a more somber expression. "I would be lost without you," he said point-blank. "What I mean is," he began to backtrack, feeling embarrassed, "value your life, because you ARE precious to someone. There are people that want to protect you as much as you want to protect them."_

 _Naomi smiled and gave him the signature thumbs up that she had picked up from her sensei._

 _"Then let's do our best to become stronger for each other."_

 _#_

Naomi's eyes fluttered open, and she stretched her arms high above her head and yawned as if she woke up from a refreshing nap. She then frowned as she racked her brain, trying to remember what had happened and why she was in an unfamiliar bed. She turned her head, and her eyes widened with surprise as she saw Guy and Iruka sitting at the other end of the room, snoring lightly. Naomi shot upright in her bed and caught her breath.

"Iruka! What are you doing here?" she asked. Iruka and Guy both jolted awake and fell out of their seats.

"Surprised to see me?" he asked with a laugh. He had barely gotten to his feet when Naomi leaped out of bed and jumped into his arms for a hug. He smiled and held her by the waist.

"Of course, I'm surprised to see you. How long have you been here?" she asked, smiling brightly up at him.

"I was here to cheer you on during your match," he said to her.

"Oh, you saw that, huh?" she asked, looking down out of embarrassment. "How did I do?" she asked, still unable to look him directly in the eye.

"You looked amazing out there, Naomi. And that sealing jutsu you used- I couldn't have done it better. I'm actually really touched that you used it," Iruka said with a smile and a hint of rosiness in his cheeks. Naomi blushed, then brushed it off with a chuckle and scoffed at the idea, as if she could ever use Iruka's jutsu better than him.

"Please. There was a lot of sloppiness out there in that arena," she said, pushing herself away from him, her frustration growing.

"Guy-Sensei, regardless of the outcome today, I need to start training immediately after the exams. I should have been able to win that fight no problem, but instead, I almost lost. I'm gonna start putting 200 percent into all my training from now on."

"Naomi, that's not really realistic-"

Guy interrupted Iruka with his jaunty, boisterous laughter.

"That's the spirit, Naomi," he said, and he pulled her into a hug, lifting her off the ground, Naomi's arms trapped at her sides. She giggled as he swung her back and forth, her legs swaying freely.

"Guy-Sensei, I can't breathe," Naomi grunted, though she still had a smile on her face.

Guy immediately dropped her to her feet.

"I'm proud of you, Naomi. You pushed yourself to the limit and pulled victory within your grasp. And even after winning the battle, you're still anxious to improve and take it to the next level. I've always said I like your style," he said, giving her a thumbs-up and a smile.

"We all knew you could do it, Naomi. How are you feeling? Are you ready for round two tomorrow?" Iruka asked.

"I feel fine- like I could go for a ten-mile run. But, the doctors want me to stay in my hospital room overnight. 'Something to do with possible head-trauma, I don't know. I'll be good as new tomorrow and ready to go all out," Naomi said with a laugh.

"Head trauma? Naomi, that's serious. You shouldn't even be moving around," Iruka said. "You should get back in bed, and we should get going." Iruka stepped towards the door, and Naomi quickly took his hand in hers without a second thought.

"Iruka, I'm fine. Really. You don't have to leave," Naomi pleaded with him. "Neither of you have to leave if you don't want to," she quickly added. Guy smiled down at her and gave her a firm pat on the shoulder.

"I'll let you two visit with each other. I'll come by again later to see how you're doing. I'm proud of you, Naomi."

"Thank you, Guy-Sensei."

Guy left the room with the smile of a proud father on his face, leaving Naomi and Iruka alone.

"You're sure you're fine?" Iruka asked.

"Yes!" Naomi said with a laugh. "Quit worrying so much and come sit with me," she said, tugging him behind her as she walked back to her bed. Naomi climbed into her bed, her back propped up by pillows, and she patted a spot beside her with an inviting smile. Iruka sat beside her, and she rested her head on his shoulder. His hands shook as he lifted them, unsure of what to do. He then settled on affectionately stroking her hair as they sat in silence for a moment.

"How are you really feeling?" he finally asked.

"I'm content. But frustrated. I keep thinking about how close I came to losing my match. During a mission, if I lose, I die, and my team dies. I'm frustrated that for all my efforts, I just barely got through that match, and I'm frustrated that no matter how much I keep improving, I'll never be satisfied."

"Well, that's not exactly a bad thing," Iruka said with a smile on his face. "You didn't do as well as you wanted, but your tactics worked in the end. What's even more amazing is that after winning, you still want to improve. And I bet you'll never underestimate an opponent again," he said with a laugh.

"Ha, yeah, that was pretty stupid of me," Naomi said with a chuckle. She then hugged her knees to her chest and leaned forward, resting her chin on her knees. "If I'm never going to be satisfied, maybe this life isn't for me. Maybe I'd be happier if I settled down with someone."

"What? Naomi, you've worked so hard for this! It would be such a waste- how could you even-"

"Ha! Geez, relax, Iruka. I was only kidding. As soon as the Chunin exams are over, I'm getting right back to training. Besides, can you actually see me being a housewife? I've got a better shot at becoming Hokage," she said with a chuckle as she buried her face in her knees, muffling her voice as she spoke.

"I think you could have whatever future you want," Iruka reassured her, a faint rosiness in his cheeks.

"Lord Third would roll in his grave if I ever gave up on myself like that, and Guy-Sensei would lose it if he even heard me joking about it," Naomi said, and she chuckled at the thought of him getting worked up and dramatic as he usually did. "I'll be satisfied when I'm strong enough to protect the village. That day just never seems to get any closer." She sighed and leaned back again, resting her head on Iruka's chest. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. A head-splitting, nauseating pain throbbed in her temples. "I must be thinking about all of this too much."

"You always overthink things. You did fine today. We're all so proud of you," Iruka said. He ran his fingers through her hair at her roots, tangling his fingers in her hair and massaging her head.

"Mm.." Naomi sighed, and Iruka laughed.

"Does that feel better?" he asked, and he was met with silence. "Naomi?" Still, she didn't answer, but instead snored quietly. He chuckled to himself and slid out from under her, being careful not to disturb her in her sleep. He tucked her in and smiled down at her as she curled into a ball and hugged her pillows, smiling in her sleep. He lingered beside her, not wanting to look away from her. His heart thumped with every slight movement and cute noise she made. Suddenly feeling awkward about watching her while she slept, he shook his head and moved towards the door, turning the lights off and closing the door gently behind him.

#

Night had fallen over the Hidden Sand, and the third-round preliminaries of the Chunin Exams had finally come to a close after a long, grueling day of one-on-one matches. Naomi slept peacefully in her bed. A thick, cool mist crept into their room from under the door. The small room was soon filled with a dense fog. Naomi shivered in her sleep and curled into a tight ball under her covers.

The door opened without a sound, and a massive, black figure crept inside, moving with ease through the mist, like it was right at home. The figure hovered over Naomi, who lay at peace, unaware of the present danger. She gasped as she was lifted out of bed with ease, and a heavy hand came down over her mouth, silencing her. She frantically brought her hands together to make a hand sign, but whoever this was, they grabbed one of her arms and constricted it behind her back. They then freed her mouth to instead grab her by her long hair and smashed her head against the wall once, twice, three times until she went limp in their arms, knocked unconscious. The stranger then slung Naomi over their shoulder and carried her away into the night without causing a disturbance.

Morning came, and Iruka made his way down through the halls of the infirmary to visit with Naomi, hoping to wish her luck before her match. He was met instead with the Kazekage himself and his advisors investigating the empty room, and Iruka's heart dropped into his stomach.

"W-what's going on? Where's Naomi?" he managed to ask.

"Please, stay back," Temari commanded, standing between Iruka and the open doorway. Her craned his neck to look past her. The bedsheets were a mess, the wall was cracked in one spot as if it had endured repeated blunt force, and the wall and floor was stained with small, red drops of what Iruka knew in his heart was Naomi's blood. The life had been drained from Iruka's face, and he thought he might throw up.

"Well, there's no doubt there was some type of struggle at some point last night," Iruka overheard Kankuro say to Gaara. Kankuro motioned to the open window. "'Looks like this was their out. If they moved in the night, they may have stopped to rest by now. A small team should be able to catch up to them and retrieve the girl. It looks like a trail of blood was left behind, so tracking them shouldn't be a problem."

Gaara gave Kankuro a nod. "I'll leave it to you, then."

Iruka pushed past Temari. "Please, If Naomi's in danger, if you're sending a team to get her back, I'd like to volunteer for this mission," he offered. Even Gaara seemed a bit surprised at the sudden outburst from this stranger. "Excuse me," Iruka apologized, and gave a bow of respect to Gaara. "My name is Iruka Umino of the Hidden Leaf Village. I'm close with the woman that was taken. I'm a Chunin and fully capable of going on this mission if you'll allow it."

Temari and Kankuro both looked to Gaara with anticipation for his answer.

"Kankuro," he finally said, looking to his older brother.

"Gaara?"

"Do you have any objections?" Gaara asked.

Kankuro looked at Iruka with a stern expression. "I can have a team ready in five minutes. Be ready to move then," he said to Iruka. Iruka nodded affirmatively.

"I'll be ready. Thank you."

"Temari," Gaara said, "how soon can you deliver a message to the Hokage that one of her villagers has been sent on a mission to retrieve one of their own?" he asked her.

"I can be there before the day is over," she said, and she swiftly left without another word, followed by Kankuro.

Iruka stood beside Naomi's bed and swept his hand across the surface as the last image he had of her filled his mind. He recalled her sweet, sleeping face, her quiet snoring, and her rhythmic breathing. Beside the bed, her Leaf headband and her pouch of ninja tools sat on the bedside table. He grabbed them both and tucked them inside his vest. A firm hand then grasped his shoulder from behind.

"We're ready to go," Kankuro said, returning with two other men. Iruka nodded.

"Then let's not waste any more time," Iruka said.

The four of them left through the open window and sprinted across the desert, following the faint trail of blood.

"Dammit. The trail is going cold. Listen up. There are only a few places near here that the kidnapper may have stopped to rest. We're going to split up and cover as much ground as possible," Kankuro said. "You two will head to the mountains," he said to the two Sand shinobi. "I'll head to the canyon. And you," he said to Iruka, "if you head straight in this direction, you'll run into a cavern."

Iruka nodded.

"Now, listen," Kankuro said firmly to the three of them. "Turn on your ear pieces. If you find them, you are to remain unseen. You are to contact us immediately and tail them without being seen until we catch up. Is that clear?"

The three of them nodded in agreement.

"Then let's do this," Kankuro said. With that, the team split into three groups. Iruka sprinted ahead, a look of determination on his face. He sent a steady stream of chakra to his feet to boost his speed.

"I'm coming Naomi," he thought aloud.

#

"Ngh..." Naomi groaned as she slowly regained consciousness. She was laying on her side, her ankles and wrists tied together. She wriggled and squirmed and immediately regretted it; her cheek stinging as the cold, hard, jagged stone ground drew blood. A deep laugh echoed from within the cave, startling her.

"There's no use in trying," a man said, and the massive man stepped into the light.

Naomi squinted and did a double-take.

"T-Toru? From the Hidden Mist? Why are you doing this? What do you want with me?" Naomi asked.

"It's not what I want with you. I was hired to do a job. Don't go thinking you're anything special," Toru said as he approached her. "I've been given very specific instructions."

He lifting her up so that she was sitting straight up. Naomi watched as he then sent a visible, constant stream of chakra to his hand, concentrating it in the tips of his fingers, terrified of what he was going to do to her.

"You're shaking like a leaf," he said with a menacing grin. "Is this what I can expect from all shinobi from the Hidden Leaf?" he asked with a laugh. "Relax. If I wanted to hurt you, I would have." He then placed his hand on the back of her head, and a seal began to glow a brilliant, bright purple, and Naomi cried out as it burned.

"There really is a seal," Toru said, genuinely surprised. He then forcefully discharged a large amount of chakra all at once, breaking the seal. Naomi gasped and doubled over in pain, nauseated from the blistering pain in her head and sudden memories flooding into her mind. The nausea was so strong and unbearable that she threw up. She panted and remained hunched over until Toru pulled her back up by her hair.

"Now, what is your name?" he asked her.

"Naomi Kasai," she breathed, still panting softly.

"Where is your home?" Toru asked.

"The Land of Waves," she answered.

"And, who do you serve? Who is your master?"

"...Father."

"Perfect," Toru said with a wicked grin. He then untied Naomi's hands and feet. With some difficulty, Naomi pushed herself up off the ground, stumbling, but managed to stand. "Are you ready to return home?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered obediently. "I'm ready to fulfill my purpose."

"Then let's get going. We have a long journey and no time to waste."

Naomi followed Toru like an obedient dog out of the cave, and winced as they walked into the bright sunlight. In the distance, someone was sprinting in their direction.

"Damn. They've already caught up to us," Toru said. Naomi stepped forward.

"I'll handle this," she said. She sprinted forward faster than she had ever run before, sending chakra through her legs to the soles of her feet with ease. It felt to her as if her chakra channel had been blocked, and her chakra was suddenly flowing freely through her body. As she approached the man in the distance, she sent yet even more chakra to her fist. She was completely prepared to deliver a crushing blow, until a familiar voice called out to her.

"Naomi!" Iruka called to her.

Naomi immediately stopped the flow of chakra to her fist, and she gritted her teeth through the sudden searing pain in her head and twinge in her heart. Once she was in reach, she threw out her arm and caught Iruka's neck and sent him tumbling back, rolling for several feet. Iruka stayed doubled over on his hands and knees, grasping at his throat and coughing violently.

"N-Naomi, why?" he choked.

"Don't follow me, Iruka," she commanded him. Without another word, she turned her back on him and returned to Toru, and they took off together, headed for the Land of Waves. Iruka pushed himself to his feet and followed after them, unwilling to accept what Naomi had done, and desperate to believe anything else.


End file.
